Carbide Corp. Nitrogen Asphyxiation Incident
Accident Description
Accident: Union Carbide Corp. Nitrogen Asphyxiation Incident
Location: Location: Hahnville, LA
Accident Occured On: 03/27/1998 | Final Report Released On: 02/23/1999
Accident Type: Confined Space / Asphyxiation
Investigation Status: The final summary report on this investigation was approved on February 23, 1999.
On March 27, 1998, one worker was killed and another seriously injured when they were asphyxiated by nitrogen at Union Carbide Corporation's Taft/Star Manufacturing Plant in Hahnville, Louisiana. The incident occurred inside a temporary enclosure the workers had erected over the end of large open gas pipe, where the workers were conducting a black light inspection. The workers were not aware that the pipe was being purged with nitrogen, creating an oxygen-deficient atmosphere.